


A Reason to Keep Going

by LuvBusters



Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: F/M, Ghosts of Family Members, Hurt/Comfort, Language, Near Death Experience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:08:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters
Summary: Janine must decide if her life is worth living when a demon comes to claim her soul.
Relationships: Janine Melnitz/Egon Spengler, Janine Melnitz/Original Male Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	A Reason to Keep Going

The Ghostbusters were at a loss: they waited helplessly as the doctor and nurse examined Janine. Her condition was slowly deteriorating and it seemed there was nothing that anyone could do. 

“Pete, tell us again what Janine said happened,” Winston asked quietly. 

He took a deep breath while the others looked at him intensely. “She was on her way to work. She was running a bit late so she admitted that she was driving a little fast. She heard a voice call her name. When she glanced in the rear view mirror, she saw a figure in the backseat. She freaked out and swerved the car. It ran off the highway and into oncoming traffic. A truck hit her on the driver side as she tried to correct the situation.”

“What kind of figure?” Egon asked. 

“Can’t say I blame her on freaking out,” Ray commented. 

“All she said was a figure,” Peter replied.

******* EARLIER THAT MORNING *************  
Janine frantically searched her bedroom closet for her other shoe. “Damnit! Where’d I take them off at last night?!” she mumbled. “I’ve gotta stop having a glass of wine at night!”

She had hit the snooze button on her alarm one too many times and now was going to be late for work. 

“The guys have been so busy lately; Dr. V is gonna kill me!” Finally finding the missing shoe, Janine grabbed her purse, locked up the apartment and ran to her car. 

She was driving too fast, and she knew it. But she was determined to make it to the firehouse. 

“Janine,” a voice whispered.

“Huh?” she looked around trying to find the source of the voice. She glanced up in her rear view mirror and saw what looked like a shadowed figure sitting in the back seat.

“WHAT THE….!” she yelled. Frightened by the figure, Janine swerved her car to the left, facing oncoming traffic. “SHIT!”

She turned the wheel fiercely to the right trying to correct her error. But it was too late. A delivery truck couldn’t slow down in time; it hit her on the driver side as she was maneuvering the car to the right. Janine bit her head against the side of the door, knocking her unconscious. Luckily, she was wearing her seatbelt or she would have been more seriously injured. 

The guys were on the way back to the firehouse from an early morning call when traffic came to a halt. 

“Oh great! This is gonna make us late for that 9:30 appointment we have!” Peter said frustrated. 

“Relax Pete. We’ve got time to make it,” Winston said. “Looks like whatever happened has been cleared up for the most part. Officers are detouring the traffic.”

Ecto-1 slowly made its way through the congestion. They were a few yards away when they saw the car being loaded onto the rollback truck. Their hearts practically stopped. 

“That’s Janine’s car!” Ray yelled. 

Winston pulled Ecto over to the shoulder of the highway, and they all got out, rushing to the officer directing traffic.

“Where’s the woman who owns that car?!” Egon asked. 

“I don’t know; I’m just detouring traffic. Ask the officer there,” he said, pointing to the older officer who was writing a report in his vehicle.

The men ran to the car, knocking frantically on the window. 

The officer stepped out, looking very annoyed. “Can I help you?!”

“Where’s the woman who was in that car?!” Egon asked.

“She’s our Secretary!” Ray added. 

“She’s been taken to New York Presbyterian,” the officer replied, understanding the reason for their frantic behavior. “She left here about ten minutes ago.”

“How bad was she?” Peter asked, not really wanting to know. The remains of her car didn’t look promising.

“I don’t know the full extent of her injuries, but she was crammed in there pretty tight. It took the jaws of life to get her out. She definitely had a head injury.”

By the time the guys arrived at the hospital, Janine was still being checked over and examined. The nurse who directed them to the emergency area where Janine had been taken advised them that Janine had a deep laceration on her head as well as a broken left clavicle. Other than that, they would have to wait until the doctor was finished with his exam.

So, here they were, waiting for the doctor. 

Finally, he came out to update them. “Hello gentlemen. I’m Dr. Stevenson.”

“How bad is it?” Ray asked worriedly. “We’ve seen four nurses rush in there.”

The doctor gave them a calm smile, but they knew he was trying to be professional. He was about to give them bad news, and he had obviously done this before. 

“Ms. Melnitz’s condition hasn’t stabilized yet. Her blood pressure is still too low for my liking, and she’s going to require surgery to repair her clavicle. But not until her bp is better.”

“So what does that mean? Is she gonna be ok?” Peter asked. 

“It’s too soon to say for sure. I’m afraid her strength is failing. For whatever reason, she doesn’t appear to be fighting this.”

“That’s ridiculous! Janine’s the most fierce woman we know,” Egon said. 

“Well, I’m afraid she may not be strong enough for this,” Dr. Stevenson said. “I’m sorry I can’t give you better news, but I don’t want to mislead you either. I’m going to keep a close eye on her; I’ll update you as soon as something changes.”

“Can we see her?” Winston asked. 

“Of course,” the doctor agreed. 

They quietly entered the room, walking up to the bedside. Janine was asleep; she had been given some pain medication earlier. Her left arm had been placed in a sling to keep her clavicle stabilized. She also had a large bandage on the front left side of her head. 

Egon wet a paper towel at the sink in the bathroom and began to gently clean the side of her face where dried blood had been left. She moaned lightly in her sleep but didn’t wake.

“Something doesn’t add up,” Peter said.

“Whaddya mean?” Ray asked.

“A gash on her head and a broken clavicle. Those aren’t reasons why she isn’t getting any better.”

“What are you saying?” Winston asked.

“I don’t know yet,” Peter replied. “But something just isn’t right.” He sat down in the chair beside Janine’s bed. 

Thirty minutes passed before Janine stirred. Peter grabbed her hand and leaned in to talk to her. “Hey Red, we’re all here,” he whispered. 

Janine’s eyes opened slowly. She squinted - without her glasses, things were a bit blurry. “Peter?”

“Yeah, it’s me. What’s going on? You’re not giving up, are ya?”

“I’m tired; just let me go,” she said, her voice weak.

“Go where?” 

“I’m tired. Just …. wanna ….. go. I miss Dad …. wanna go…,” her voice trailed off as she once again slipped back into sleep.

Peter gently laid her hand down on the bed, sitting back down in the chair. He looked distraught. 

The others had gathered around the bed, but now they were moving over to where Peter sat. 

“What did she say?” Ray asked. 

“She’s tired and wants to go,” Peter replied slowly.

“Go where?” Egon asked. 

Peter’s eyes met theirs, tears swelling in them. “She misses her Dad and wants to go.”

Egon gasped, covering his mouth to control himself. 

Ray teared up instantly.

“Her dad passed away two years ago,” Winston said solemnly. 

“Yeah,” was all Peter could say. He looked over at Janine as she lay sleeping. “What happened in that car?” he whispered. 

The time crept slowly, the Ghostbusters’ nerves becoming more frazzled by the minute. Janine would wake up from time to time but then drift back out again. Her blood pressure was holding for the time being, but it was still lower than normal. 

Winston had gone to the waiting area to get coffee; he was finding it difficult to continue sitting. Ray had fallen asleep on the couch in the waiting room; they had gotten up early that morning for a call. Egon was in Janine’s room with Peter.

“What do you think happened? In the car?” Peter asked Egon quietly. “Anything paranormal?”

Egon looked up from where he was sitting by Janine’s bed. He had been watching her as she slept. “I scanned her with the PKE meter shortly after the nurse left earlier. There was a slight residual reading, but it could be from her exposure to Slimer at the firehouse. I have it set to read her biorhythms now.”

“How is it?”

“Weak and getting weaker.”

“What can we do? I’m not gonna sit here and watch her die! There’s no real medical reason for her to be this bad off!”

Egon frowned, his brain searching for a possible explanation. “I don’t know.” 

Peter sighed in frustration. If Egon doesn’t know, no one does. 

*******************   
Two hours had passed. Janine started to wake up. Peter was sitting close by. The others had gone out for more coffee. 

“Hey there,” Peter said, smiling.

“Hey,” Janine replied weakly. 

“What happened in the car? What caused the accident?” He didn’t want to push too hard, but he needed answers before she drifted off again.

Janine blinked a few times and cleared her throat. “A ghost or something … in my car … in the back seat. It whispered my name. I … was scared … I swerved by mistake. Was going the wrong way. A truck hit me.”

Peter squeezed her hand. “What did the ghost look like?”

“Like a shadow.”

“Was it wearing anything?”

“Couldn’t tell … was dark … like a shadow.”

Peter didn’t know what else to say. He would have to tell Egon and Ray this information, and see what they knew about it. 

Janine squeezed Peter’s hand. “It talks to me. It wants me to give it my soul.”

Peter’s face paled. “No Janine! Don’t make any kind of deal with this thing!”

“If I do, it won’t come after you guys. And it won’t hurt you. It won’t hurt Egon.”

“You listen to me now. Things like this ghost or whatever it is don’t make good deals. It’s just a trick. It’ll take your soul and still come after us! Don’t trust it! Please, Janine! Listen to me! We can handle whatever this thing is!”

Janine closed her eyes for a moment, taking deep breaths. She opened her eyes again. “My mom wants me to find a safer job. My sister is pregnant again. So many of my friends are getting engaged or married. I can’t keep competing with them. I’m tired … I just don’t want to worry about any of this anymore.”

Peter’s heart was pounding. “Look Janine. We can work out something about making you more safe at the firehouse. I know your mom puts a lot of pressure on you. What about that guy you’ve been seeing? What’s his name - Curtis?”

“Kurt.”

“Whatever. You’ve been dating him for what - three months?”

“Five.”

“Whatever! Maybe he’ll make a move soon?”

“I don’t want him. He’s a jerk.”

“Then why are you …?”

Janine turned her head to look out the window. Peter realized the truth.

“You’re with him cause you can’t have Egon?”

She closed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks.

“I’ll straighten him out. I know he feels something for you; he just doesn’t know how to verbalize it. But give him a chance to show you; I know he loves you!”

Janine turned back to look at Peter. “I’m tired … I’m going to let it take me.”

“NO!” Peter screamed. “JANINE, DON’T!”

Egon, Winston and Ray came running into the room. 

“What’s going on?!” Winston shouted. 

“Janine! You’re awake!” Egon said, smiling. 

But she closed her eyes, one last tear running over her cheek. Her blood pressure dropped dangerously low causing the alarm on the monitor to sound. Her breathing was becoming shallow. 

Two nurses and a doctor cane rushing in. 

“EVERYONE OUT!” the doctor ordered. 

The guys were practically pushed out of the room and the door was closed. 

Ray sat down in the hallway crying; Winston kept his composure as he knelt to reassure Ray. Peter paced the hallway running his hands through his hair. 

And Egon. He showed a side of himself that only Peter and Egon’s mother had seen - when his father died. Egon screamed out Janine’s name as he punched his hand into the wall, causing a small dent in the wall and possibly breaking his wrist. He then dropped to his knees, hyperventilating. 

Peter rushed to him, kneeling on the floor beside him. He put an arm around Egon’s shoulder. “Hey Big Guy. Take it easy. She’s gonna be ok. You know Janine. She’s from Brooklyn. She’s tough.” 

* MEANWHILE FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW *

Janine watched from what seemed to be a clouded distance. She could see the guys in the hallway of the hospital, the agony they were in, especially Egon. 

“What’s happening?” she asked. She looked around to see a man walking towards her. “Egon?” she said. As the man got closer, she saw that it was actually Dr. Edison Spengler, Egon’s father. “Am I dead?”

“Not yet,” Dr. Spengler replied. “But it will not be long.”

The dark shadow appeared. For the first time, it’s form became more clear. Janine could now see that it was actually a demon; it was a bit shorter than herself with a deep scarlet robe. It removed the hood to reveal its head. It looked like a skull with a thin layer of skin. It had no eyes, just red glowing orbs in the eye sockets. When it smiled, it revealed a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. 

Janine gasped. “Why do you want me?!”

“My dear, it’s not you I’m after; it’s the men you work for. They have imprisoned several of my cohorts. They’ve snagged some of my enemies as well. But, I knew if I could get you in a position to maneuver them together at the same time, I could take care of them all in one move!”

“So I was bait?!” Janine screamed. 

“In a manner of speaking, yes. They will do anything for you. If I can obtain their souls in exchange to save yours, that gets me what I want.”

“You BASTARD!” Janine lunged towards the demon, but Dr. Spengler caught her. “LET ME GO!” she yelled at him. 

“Attacking the demon will not stop him. You must return to the living world, warn Egon and the others.”

“If I’m not dead, where am I?”

“Limbo. A place where souls stay temporarily until their earthly bodies give out.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To tell you to fight this. It’s not your time yet. Return to your body and will yourself to live. You have too much to live for. You have a man who obviously loves you … my son.” He pointed to the clouded scene that was playing out in front of her. 

Janine could still see all her guys agonizing over her situation. The scene changed to the hospital room: the doctor and nurses were working on her, performing CPR. She turned and looked behind Dr. Spengler. She could see her father who had passed two years ago along with other family members from years before. There was a bright light behind them. 

“Go back, Munchkin,” her dad said, smiling. “It’s ok. I miss you all too, but I’m happy. Please don’t be sad anymore. Live your life. Be happy.” With that, he vanished, along with the others. 

“You see? You don’t belong here. You belong there, with my son and the others. I was wrong to teach him how to suppress his feelings. Go back and teach him how to love, that it’s ok to love.”

Janine smiled and nodded. 

Dr. Spengler vanished, leaving only the demon. 

“NO!” it screamed as Janine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 

********** BACK TO THE LIVING ************  
The doctor and nurses stepped back as Janine regained consciousness and opened her eyes. She breathed in deeply, then releasing it. 

“We’ve got her! She’s back!” the doctor shouted. 

A nurse stepped in and started taking vitals. 

The doctor stepped out into the hallway. “It’s ok. You can come back in. She’s gonna make it!”

They all gave a huge sigh of relief and ran back into the room. Janine was sitting up as the nurses left. 

“Don’t you EVER pull another stunt like that!” Peter teased. 

Egon rushed over to her bedside. Without a word, he sat down on the edge of the bed and gently cupped his hands around her face. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. 

The others smiled, Winston giving a wolf whistle. 

“I think they already tried CPR, Spengs!” Peter said teasingly. 

Egon broke away, smiling at Janine. She was smiling as well. 

“That’s ok, Dr. V! He can keep trying!” she replied. 

Janine told the guys about the demon she saw and it’s plan to capture everyone’s souls. 

“That’s pretty twisted,” Winston said. 

“How so we make sure it doesn’t come back?” Janine asked worriedly. 

“We don’t,” Egon replied. “But we’ll be ready for it if it does.”

“What I wanna know is how did you come back? What gave you the strength to return from Limbo?” Ray asked curiously. 

“I had a little conversation with someone who had passed a while back. I saw my dad too along with other members of my family who have passed. They all agreed that I needed to return to warn you guys. Besides, it wasn’t my time; that’s what he kept saying.”

“Who told you this?” Egon asked. 

Janine smiled as her eyes met his. “Your dad.”

Egon’s eyes widened in shock. 

“He said I had too much to live for. And that he was wrong to teach you to not love. He also said I was the right girl for you, and that it’s ok to love.”

Egon struggled to maintain his composure. But a small tear escaped, running down his cheek before he wiped it away quickly. 

Suddenly, they heard a commotion down the hall. Then, a young man entered the room. He was about six feet tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He wasn’t a body builder but obviously took care of himself. 

“Janine!” he screamed as he ran closer to her bed. 

Egon stood u from the bed, still holding Janine’s hand. Winston, Ray and Peter formed a barrier between Janine and this guy, effectively blocking him any further access.

“Do ya mind?! Get outta the way!” the man shouted. 

“Kurt, what are you doing here?” Janine asked annoyed. 

“I happen to be your BOYFRIEND!”

Winston and Ray stepped aside, but Peter stood firm. 

“You sure about that, Bunky?” Peter asked, his brows knitted together and his arms folded across his chest. 

“Of course I am!”

“How’d you find me here?” Janine asked.

“The cop who worked the accident called me; he found my number in your planner. He said he didn’t know my relation to you, but he assumed I was somebody he could contact.”

“Well, I’m fine. You can go,” she snapped tiredly. 

Kurt took another step forward, but Peter jumped in front of him. “I believe the lady said to go.”

“And who are you guys?!” Kurt asked angrily.

Egon then stepped forward, instantly intimidating Kurt with his height and a look of pure rage on his face. “As you can see, Janine is being properly tended to.”

“Yeah, right! You must be that scientist nerd that she used to be hung up on! Well, you’ve lost your chance Pal! Now move!” Kurt demanded.

Egon put up his hand, stopping Kurt in his tracks. “I’m telling you to leave. I will not warn you again.”

Kurt laughed. “Right! Just cause you’ve got me in height, don’t think I can’t whip your ass!”

Egon simply punched Kurt with a solid right hook, landing Kurt on his ass in the room. 

Winston pulled Kurt up onto his feet, then escorted him out of the room. “Unless you wanna be a patient, I suggest you leave. And don’t bother Janine again!”

Kurt left quickly, holding a hand to his bloody nose.

“Sorry about that,” Janine mumbled. “Guess I need to make sure I white out his number in my planner.”

Egon sat back down on the bed and took Janine’s hand. “That’s alright. Just put my name and number in there.”

She smiled. “It already is.”

“I think we need to give these two some privacy,” Ray suggested, smiling. 

Winston and Peter agreed. They left and closed the door behind them. 

“Sorry about Kurt,” Janine said softly. 

“No harm done.”

She noticed Egon’s hand and the bruise on it. “EGON! Your hand?!”

“Yes, I probably should have that checked while I’m here.”

“I saw how upset you all were; I am sorry. I just wanted to do what I thought was the right thing.”

“I know. But no matter what the situation is, please never strike a deal with a demon.”

“You’d think I’d learn,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Egon said gently. “Like you said: you were doing what you thought was best.”

She gave him a warm smile. “I love you, Egon. I always have.”

He returned the smile. “I love you, too Janine. My father gave you some good advice; I’m going to follow through on it.” He leaned in again for another kiss.

Janine returned the kiss, placing her hand on the side of his face. “Get that hand checked out,” she whispered after the kiss. 

“I will,” Egon promised. 

“Cause when I get outta here, I want us to get our act together.”

“Yes. Starting with an official date,” Egon announced. 

Janine beamed back at him. She knew if that demon ever showed up again, her guys would be ready. In the meantime, she was going to take the advice given to her: live her life and be happy. Indeed, she has much to live for.


End file.
